Guitar Hero World Tour Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Published: Jan 17, 2008

Guitar Hero World Tour Additional Strategies

You're prepared to play every position, and now you're looking for more info on the game. Whether you're playing with friends or by yourself, here are some tactics that should help you win more often than not.

Tips on the Drums

Always let your hits rebound! New drummers may occasionally hit the pads too stiffly to get a nice rebound, or they may leave the stick head pressed against the drum. The former will hurt you eventually, and the latter will work in the beginning, but not later on. In fact, when you're playing the roughest Expert songs, you might want to take advantage of another method: hitting the drum pad twice with one swing of the arm. That might sound impossible, but it's not, although it's definitely an advanced method that'll take time to learn. Specifically, it works like this: you'll hit the pad once and the stick will rebound, but your hand will still be heading downward, resulting in a second collision. When you feel like you've learned all there is to know, challenge yourself anew by trying to master this!

Practice with songs that use the blue and green pads! The vast majority of tracks in World Tour will have you striking the red pad and yellow cymbal. If you get too used to this—and just this—you may start sitting and holding the sticks in a way that doesn't work for more dynamic songs. Use numbers like "La Bamba" and "Go Your Own Way" to warm up to those oft-neglected notes.

Don't rely on one hand for four out of five pads! If you're right-handed, you might grow accustomed to using your left hand for only one thing: the red pad. Don't do this. It will prematurely tire out your good arm, and limit your ability to do rolls and travel across the pads. If you didn't perform the simple exercises written about in the Drums section, you may want to revisit them and try them out. Additionally, you should use your off hand on the center pad and both cymbals whenever possible. It pays to be versatile.

Tips on the Guitar

Cradle the neck with your palm! If you don't want your fretting hand to cramp up, remember that you should be supporting that part of the guitar with your palm. Pressing against it with your thumb or gripping it with your fingers isn't going to work forever, and will do more harm than good.

Don't apply too much pressure when you slide! Performing the green to red slide is considered a necessity, but if you rub your pointer along these frets too hard, it'll start to burn. After only a half hour or so of play, your finger will feel raw, and if you perpetually perform that way, you may develop a soreness that lasts long after the parties end. Support the guitar's neck properly and only apply as much pressure as necessary.

Use the whammy often on Star Power chords! Because the SP you've accumulated can be used by all your bandmates, it pays to be a team player. Take advantage of your unique ability to squeeze extra juice out of those SP chords. As a direct result of it, your performances will last longer and be more fun for everyone.

General Advice

World Tour intends to deliver a fun-filled experience, but it does require more physical involvement than the usual game. Prepare accordingly! Much of this guide tells you how to ready yourself for a night of rockin'. Although you shouldn't ignore its advice, you must also remember that we aren't doctors. Just make sure to use common sense when you're deciding which instrument you want to play. For example, if you're not supposed to engage in demanding physical activity, don't play the drums. Likewise, if you just got over a cold, don't be the singer. If you have sensitive wrists, reinforce them with braces, and so on, so forth. Play smarter, not harder.

Every song is just a series of notes. You can find a way to break them down! If you're struggling to master a certain track, take a break, forget your frustration, and try to approach it with a fresh set of eyes. All of the songs within World Tour can be boiled down to basics. First, familiarize yourself with the tempo. Afterward, try to count how many notes you see in a measure. Is there a pattern that repeats every ten notes or so? Does the entire song consist of passages that travel from low to high notes, and then go back again? Are you going to be on the blue fret or pad for every vocal segment? There are many ways to decipher a track, and you should be able to devise one that works for you.

Take a break every now and then, even if it's a short one! Professional musicians normally take breaks between songs, whether during live performances or studio recordings. You should take a page out of their book and do the same. Get up every now and then, walk around a bit, and let yourself cool down. However, if you take a rather long break—such as an hour or more—you should prepare yourself all over again when you come back. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Keep these precautions in mind, do a little research of your own, then jump into the Guitar Hero experience and have fun!